The first sign of Beijing's spring is the magnolia, a precious and beautiful white or purple flower that can only be seen in a few places.

Dajue Temple

Dajue Temple is about 50 kilometers northwest of the city in the Yangtaishan Mountain area of Haidian District.Every March, large crowds are drawn to the temple to see three magnificent magnolia trees, one of which dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong and is considered the oldest magnolia in Beijing.

Address: Bei An He, Haidian District
How to go: Bus No. 346 from the north gate of Summer Palace. Get off at Wenquanzhen and take a taxi for the last 3 km, or get off at Zhoujiaxiang and walk the last 1.5 km northwest

Beijing Botanical Garden

The magnolia garden inside the Beijing Botanical Garden probably has the largest number of magnolias of any one place in the capital. The garden has 21 varieties, including the precious purple magnolia, Erqiao magnolia, Wudang magnolia, small magnolia and three-petal magnolia.
Address: East of Xiangshan Park

How to go: Bus 333, 360 from Summer Palace

Tanzhe Temple

The temple's 21 magnolia trees yield beautiful blossoms of white, yellow and purple. The most famous is the purple blossom in front of Piluge Pavillion. The tree is over 200 years old and is the biggest of its kind in the northeast region.
Address: Mentougou District How to go: Long distance bus from Zhanlan Lu

Summer Palace

Most visitors to the Summer Palace in spring will be drawn by the magnolia trees in front of Lishoutang Hall, where Emperor Guangxu languished under house arrest and the magnolia trees gave him great comfort. Most of the magnolias here are over 200 years old.

West Chang'an Avenue

From the west of Zhongshan Park to the south end of Fuyou Street, there are many magnolia trees forming a beautiful lining for Chang'an Avenue.